Amalgam carrier and ejector



June 10, 1958 E. B. MOLLER Filed March 19, 1956 AMALGAM CARRIER ANDEJECTOR Q 'llllllllllll'l'll INVNTUR. Edward 5. /o//er AWR/ver UnitedStates rThis invention relates to improvements in a dental instrumentand more particularly to an instrument of the type generally known as anamalgam carrier. Devices of this class are intended to provideconvenient and accurate means for projecting lling material yinto thecavities of teeth.

It is well known that instruments of the class of this invention havebeen available to, and been used by, dentists over quite a period ofyears and also that such instruments, insofar as being capable ofinjecting amalgam into a tooth cavity is concerned, have served theirpurpose. However, several lling materials, in common usage, are diicultto maintain in such plasticity as to, at all times, be suitable forfilling tooth cavities; that is, the tendency of some materials to aseparation of their components in a short period of time, requiresconstant manipulation, the possible addition of an appropriate bondingsubstance, or the complete replacement with a fresh batch. Without thecollaboration of an assistant, it is diicult in the extreme for adentist to maintain an amalgam in suitable condition to enable fillingseveral cavities. usable condition is by handmanipulation. This is0bjectionable in that the material will have a tendency to acquiremoisture from the hand and such moisture, when the cavity is filled, maycreate a painful condition during and after the amalgam has hardened inthe cavity.

Currently available amalgam carriers appear to have a common objectionin that they are capable of extruding only a very small quantity ofamalgam with each load, and also that the method of loading consists ofmerely compacting the material into the ejection nozzle by repeatedlypressing the nozzle into a mound of the material when the plunger iswithdrawn. Even in filling a single cavity it is necessary for thedentist to repeatedly loador have loaded the amalgam carrier since allof the material cannot be compacted into a given cavity with only oneinjection from the carrier. Thus the remaining amalgam is exposed to theair and tends to deteriorate even though manipulated in the manner abovementioned.

The present invention is directed to and has for one of its objects theprovision of an amalgam carrier that is designed to contain and becapable of repeatedly extruding quantities of material suicient to ll anumber of tooth cavities with only one loading thereof.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of a carrier thatis pre-loaded with an amalgam and preserves such amalgam prior to andduring use in required plastic condition. Y

. A further object of the invention lies in the provision of a carrierthat by the very act of loading and extrudi'ng has pre-formed thematerial for most convenient application to a tooth cavity. Y

Other and further objects of the invention will be more fully understoodand appreciated from a consideration of the following specification,taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing; in which One meansof maintaining the amalgam in strument.

2,837,824 ,Patented June 10, 195g .in section, showing the amalgamcontainer preparatory to insertion in its compartment within thecarrier;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view, taken substantially on the line4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig...5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view, taken substantially onthe line 5 5 of Fig. 2 and shows one position ofthe amalgam containerwithin the carrier cornpartment;

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5 and shows the other position of theamalgam container in the carrier compartment;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantially onthe line 7--7 of Fig. 5, and shows the plunger in yfully retractedposition preparatory to forcing amalgam from one passageway in thecontainer; and

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7, taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6 andshows the plunger Within one passageway of the container.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 isemployed to generally designate an amalgam carrier that embodies oneyform Vof the present invention. For purposes of description, thecarrier may be`considered as comprising a tubular or hollow member 11which constitutes the body portion of the in- Approximately midway ofits length is a v finger gripping collar 12. At one end ofl the memberis a collar` 13 which is removable to permit insertion of a spring 14.One endof the spring seats against thereducedthreaded neck 16 of themember, whereas the other end is held within the member by securing thecollar 13 thereto. Project-ing into the opening in the collar is aplunger 17. The diameter of the plunger is such that it will readilyproject through the spring 14 and into the threaded neck 16 (see Fig.7). Of course, that portion of the plunger within the tubular member andadjacent the collar 13 is fitted with a pin or other suitable projectionfor engagement with the spring end and this serves as a means forplacing the spring under tension when the plunger is moved into themember to the positionshown in solid or dotted lines in Fig. 2. Thedetails of springing the plunger are old and well known in the art and,therefore, are' neither shown nor discussed in detail. The outer end ofthe plunger is fitted with a knob '18. Extending along the surface ofthe plunger from the knob isa spring latch 19. This latch will serve tohold the plunger in the position shown in lfull lines in Fig. 2 againsttension of the spring 14. The purpose of this will be hereinafterbrought out.

A unit 20 includes an internally threaded end 21, this end receiving thethreaded end 16 of the tubular member 11. -The unit, by means of endwalls 22 and 23, together with a connecting wall 24, provides arectangular compartment 26. This compartment is further defined by awall 2,7 that is hinged, as at 28, to the end walls and is movable intoand out of parallel position with respect to wall 24 (see Figs. 4 and5). A suitable" latch 29 is provided to secure wall 27 in closedposition. When this wall is so closed, the compartment 26 is open onopposite sides. The wall 24 is provided with a transverse, elongatedslot 31. It will be understood that openings in the end walls 22 and 23are centered with the opening in the end 16. of the tubular member and,thus, the functioning end 32 of the plunger 17 may be projected throughthe compartment 26 and, in fact, into the end wall 22 Vof the operation.

thereof. Attached to the outer face of wall'22 is an ejection nozzle 33.The opening in .this nozzle, .of course, centers with the opening inwall 22. For convenience in use, the nozzle is curved. However, theparticular curvature shown is not important t-o theinvention ibut ,isintended for convenience in use of the instrument.

An amalgam container 34 consists .of alhlockothat is generally AU-shapedin .cross section. VSecured centrallyY to the outer surface .of the`block base wall is `a lug 37, from which extends a short threaded shaft138. The 'lug isfintended to fit within the slot 31 and -limit theextentof lateral movement of the 1container when mounted in the compartment26. A Washer 39 and thumb nut 41 are engaged with the shaft 38, the nut,when tightened, serving to secure the container against movement withinthe compartment. The inner surface of the base wall of the block isformed -with a pair of semi-circular grooves ,42 that extend the Vfullblock length. The outer side of each groove blends into the adjacentside wall 43 of the block and the dividing line between the groovestakes the form of a sharp rib 44. An insert 46 for the block is hingedat one end by a pin 47 to the block side walls 43. The upper face ofthis insert is formed with a pair of parallel semi-circular grooves 48.The dividing line between these grooves is also sharply defined. Whenthe insert 46 is pivoted from the position of Fig. 3 into the block 36,the sharp dividing lines between the grooves meet and the two sets ofsemi-circular grooves form two circular passageways extending the fulllength of the block. As Vmay be observed in the exploded views (Figs. 3and 4) the block may be placed in the compartment 26 when the door-likeWall 27 is in fully open position. Following insertion of theblock, thethumb nut is turned down and the wall 27 swung into closed position andlatched.

For a clearer understanding of the advantages of the invention, a briefstatement of the loading, assembly and operation of the instrument isset out. It may be assumed that an amalgam, vsuitable for filling thecavity of a tooth, has-been prepared. For convenience in handling, it isdesirable that the container 34 is not removed from the compartment 26.Thus, to load the container with the prepared amalgam, it is onlynecessary to unlatch and swing open the wall 27, and swing the insert 46into open position. A quantity of amalgam is placed in the block 36 and,when the insert is moved into closed position and the wall27 latched,the amalgam is compacted and completely, or at least substantially,lills the two cylindrical passageways. It will be understood that, dueto the sharply defined edges of the grooves, the amalgam, when theinsert is closed, is positively separated into two `cylindrical shapedmasses in conformity with the shape of the passageways. Followingclosing the wall 27, the container is moved, for example, ,to theposition shown in Fig. 5. In this position, the right-hand passageway isaligned with the opening of the tubular member and the opening of thenozzle. Sufficient tightness to prevent later-al dis'- placement of theblock from such alignment is, of course, obtained by reason of thepreviously set tightness of the thumb nut. It will be noted that theamalgam is completely enclosed and, with the exception of air that mightreach it through the open-ended nozzle, little or no physical change maytake place, since it is not exposed to the airV as would be the case ifthe amalgam were left in the mixing tray or dish. It may also be assumedthat this simple loading operation has been performed by a dentalassistant, who now moves the plunger 17 from the position of Fig. 1 tothat of Fig. 2.L Of course, such` movement is against tension ofthespring 14 and requires 4operation of the spring latch 19 to preventwithdrawal of Vthe plunger. This movement of theplurxger has caused thefunctional end thereof to project into'and through the fullv length ofoneV of the amalgam passageways. A comparison of Figs. 7 and 8 willdisclose this. part The amalgam contained'in this one passageway hasbeen forced by the plunger end 32 into 4 the nozzle 33, substantiallyfilling it. The assistant now .hands the `instrument to the dentist whois now able, by further movement of the plunger, to inject a givenquantity i of amalgam into a tooth cavity. If the quantity of amalgamthat was originally placed in one of the passageways has become used up,it is merely necessary to release the plunger, allowing the spring 14 towithdraw it to the position of Fig. 1. The amalgam container is nowmoved laterally within the compartment 26 from the position of Fig. 55to that'of Fig. 6 and by so doing, the remaining loaded passageway isaligned with the plunger end and the nozzle. Repeated inward movement ofthe plunger now forces the amalgam from the other passageway into thenozzle and, of course, is available at the nozzle end for injection intoa tooth cavity.

It is pointed out that in keeping with the purpose of the invention toprovide a quickly loaded and easily manipulatable amalgam carrier, theamalgam container is not removed from the carrier, the exception, ofcourse, being on occasion when it may become necessary to clean theentire instrument. Thus, it may again be stated that the presentinvention provides an amalgam carrier for dental use that is pre-loadedand with such a quantity of amalgam as may be used by a dentist infilling several cavities and within the time in which the amalgamcontinues to Vbe of desired plasticity and consistency.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the amalgam carrier andejector provide closed compartments for an amalgam prior to and during atooth filling operation. Also, it will be clear that when the block 36is loaded, the amalgam is compacted in the passageways to an extent thatany excess mixing element thereof is squeezed or compressed out of it.With particular reference to silver lling material, mercury would thusbe removed to required extent. Thus, the amalgam, when ejected,

is of the most satisfactory consistency for filling a cavity. It will beapparent that due to confinement of the amalgam, a dentist may lay theinstrument down and later, as. required, again use it without theconsistency of the amalgam deteriorating to an extent to render itunusable due to exposure to the air or the possibility of added moistureas a result of finger manipulation.

Although applicant has shown and described only one form of theinvention, it will be apparent that the particular amalgam container maybe modified to include more than the two passageways shown and that themethod of mounting the amalgam container in the instrument may also bemodified, these modifications being contemplated as being within thespirit and scope of the invention insofar as they are set out in theannexed claims.

Having thus set forth my invention, what I claim as new and for which Idesire protection by Letters Patent 1s:

1. A carrier and extruding instrument for dental practice comprising atubular member, a plunger projecting into one end of said member andbeing movable to extend beyond the other end thereof, walls extendingfrom said other end forming a compartment, an ejector nozzle at theA endof said compartment remote from said member, the openings in said memberand said nozzle being in alignment, a container mounted in saidcompartment, said 4container having an amalgam receiving passageway andbeing movable within said compartment to align said passageway with theopenings in said member and said nozzle whereby movement of said plungerin one direction Will extrude amalgam from said nozzle.

2. A carrier and extruding instrument for dental practise comprising atubular member, a plunger projecting into one end of said memberandbeing movable to extend beyond the other end thereof, walls extendingfrom said other end forming a compartment, an ejector nozzle at the endof said compartment remote from said member, the openings in said memberand said nozzle being in alignment, an amalgam container mounted in saidcompartment, cooperating grooved parts of said 4container providing apassageway extending the length thereof, and

means for securing said corainer in a position within said compartmentto align said passageway with the openings in said member and saidnozzle whereby said plunger may 'be moved into said container t-oextrude amalgam, contained therein, from said nozzle.

3. A carrier and extruding instrument for dental practise comprisingatubular member, a plunger projecting into and being movable in thedirection of the length of said member, walls forming a compartment atone end of said member, an ejection nozzle beyond said compartment, aclosure operable to give access to the interior of said compartment, andan amalgam container in said compartment, said container beingadjustable Within said compartment to .be aligned with said plunger andsaid nozzle and enable ejection of amalgam from said nozzle by movementof said plunger into said container.

4. A carrier and extruding instrument for dental practise comprising 'atubular member, a plunger projecting into one end of said member andbeing movable to extend beyond the other end thereof, walls forming acompartment at one end :of said member, a securable access door for saidcompartment, a nozzle joined to and opening int-o said compartment, anamalgam container mounted in said compartment, parallel passagewaysextending the length of said container, means mounting said container toenable adjustment thereof within said compartment to register any ofsaid passageways with the openings in said member and said nozzle.

5. A carrier and extruding instrument for dentalr practise comprising atubular member, a plunger project-f ing into one end of said member andbeing movable to extend beyond the other end thereof, Walls forming 'acompartment lat one end of said member, :an amalgam container in saidcompartment, Walls forming parallel passageways extending the length ofsaid container, said passageways being split transversely of theirlength and consisting of separable parts of said container, and means`enabling adjustment of said container within said compartment wherebyto register any of said passageways with the opening in said member.

6. A carrier and extruding instrument for dental practise comprising `atubular member, a plunger projecting into one end of said member andbeing movable to extend beyond the lother end thereof, walls forming acompartment at one end of sai-d member, `au amalgam container in saidcompartment, said container consisting of a pair of interlitting parts,each of said parts having parallel longitudinal semi-circular grooves,said grooves, when said parts are intertted, forming end openingpassageways, and means enabling adjustment of said container to registerany of said passageways with the opening in said member.

7. A carri-er and extruding instrument for ydental use comprising atubular member, a plunger projecting into one end of said mem'ber andbeing movable to extend beyond the other end thereof, a compartment atthe other end of said member, an ejector nozzle at the end of saidcompartment remote from said member, the openings in said member andsaid nozzle being in alignment, an amalgam container in saidcompartment, Walls forming parallel passageways extending throughout theeffective length of said container, means mounting said -container foradjustment to register any of said passageways with said nozzle andmember openings and further means for gaining access to said containerto insert an amalgam.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,066,966 Wettstine Iuly 8, 1913 1,852,658 Kile Apr. 5, 1932 FOREIGNPATENTS 613,874 France Sept. 6, 1926

